Shutter disk for physical vapor deposition chamber

ABSTRACT

A shutter disk suitable for shield a substrate support in a physical vapor deposition chamber is provided. In one embodiment, the shutter disk includes a disk-shaped body having an outer diameter disposed between a top surface and a bottom surface. The disk-shape body includes a double step connecting the bottom surface to the outer diameter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/563,531, filed Sep. 21, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/099,090, filed Sep. 22, 2008, bothof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the field ofsemiconductor process chambers, and more particularly, to shutter disksfor use in semiconductor process chambers.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional semiconductor device formation is commonly performed in oneor more process chambers, typically combined to form a multi-chamberprocessing system (e.g., a cluster tool) which has the capability toprocess multiple substrates (e.g., semiconductor wafers) in a controlledprocessing environment. To maintain process uniformity and ensureoptimal performance of the process chamber, various conditioningoperations are periodically performed. For example, in a physical vapordeposition (PVD) processing chamber, one commonly used conditioningoperation is a “burn-in” process, wherein a target disposed in the PVDprocessing chamber is bombarded with plasma ions to remove oxides orother contaminants from the target prior to performing substrateprocesses. Another commonly used conditioning operation is a “pasting”process, wherein a covering is applied over material deposited onprocess chamber surfaces to prevent the material from flaking off theprocess chamber surfaces and contaminating the substrate duringsubsequent processes.

In both of the aforementioned conditioning operations, a shutter diskmay be positioned via a transfer robot atop a substrate support disposedin the process chamber to prevent the deposition of any materials uponthe substrate support. Thus, the shape of the shutter disk is importantfor both the positional accuracy of robotic handling and placement,along with substrate support coverage, as errors in either may lead toundesirable exposure of the upper surface of the substrate supportduring the conditioning operations.

Moreover, conventional shutter disks are typically made of a materialhaving a mechanical stiffness sufficient enough to resist deformationdue to the additional weight of the deposited material. For example, theshutter disk commonly comprises a metal alloy, such as stainless steel(SST), or a ceramic, such as silicon carbide (SiC). However, shutterdisks constructed of such materials weigh a substantial amount, leadingto increased costs due to providing and maintaining a transfer robotcapable of securely maneuvering the shutter disk. In addition, thecoefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is limited in range, resulting ina potentially significant difference between the coefficients of thermalexpansion of the shutter disk and deposited materials, leading todiminished adhesion between the deposited material and the surface ofthe shutter disk, thus increasing the risk of the deposited materialpeeling or flaking off and contaminating the underlying substratesupport. To alleviate this problem, the surface of the shutter disk maybe textured via an abrasive blasting process to increase adhesion.However, due to the hardness of materials such as SST or SiC, suchprocesses are difficult and costly.

Thus, there is a need for an improved shutter disk.

SUMMARY

A shutter disk suitable for shield a substrate support in a physicalvapor deposition chamber is provided. In one embodiment, the shutterdisk includes a disk-shaped body having an outer diameter disposedbetween a top surface and a bottom surface. The disk-shape body includesa double step connecting the bottom surface to the outer diameter.

In another embodiment, the shutter disk includes a disk-shaped body. Thebody has an outer diameter disposed between a top surface and a bottomsurface. An outer step and an inner step are formed on the bottomsurface, the outer step extending further into the body than the innerstep. An outer wall substantially parallel to a centerline of the bodyconnects the outer step to the inner step. An annular groove is formedin the bottom surface disposed radially inward of the inner step.

In another embodiment, a shutter disk having a tuned coefficient ofthermal expansion is provided. In some embodiments, a shutter diskhaving a tuned coefficient of thermal expansion may include a bodyformed from a first material comprising at least two components, whereina ratio of each of the at least two components to one another isselected to provide a coefficient of thermal expansion of the body thatis substantially similar to a coefficient of thermal expansion of asecond material to be deposited atop the body.

In some embodiments, a process chamber may include a chamber bodydefining an inner volume having a target comprising materials to bedeposited atop a substrate disposed therein; a substrate supportdisposed within the chamber body for supporting the substrate; a shutterdisk for protecting the substrate support, the shutter disk comprising abody formed from a composite material having at least two components,wherein a ratio of each of the at least two components to one another isselected to provide a coefficient of thermal expansion of the body thatis substantially similar to a coefficient of thermal expansion ofmaterials to be deposited on the shutter disk; and a transfer robotmovably coupled to the chamber body for transferring the shutter disk tothe substrate support.

In some embodiments, a shutter disk having a tuned coefficient ofthermal expansion may include a body having a top surface, bottomsurface and a peripheral surface coupling the top surface to the bottomsurface, wherein the body comprises aluminum and silicon provided in aratio of aluminum to silicon of about 1:4 to about 7:3 and wherein thebody has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantiallysimilar to a coefficient of thermal expansion of a material to bedeposited atop the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention, briefly summarized above anddiscussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to theillustrative embodiments of the invention depicted in the appendeddrawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawingsillustrate only exemplary embodiments of this invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the inventionmay admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary shutter disk in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cross sectional view from the centerline of theexemplary shutter disk of FIG. 1, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a partial cross sectional view from the centerline ofanother embodiment of a shutter disk in accordance with some embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary processing chambersuitable for use in connection with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to semiconductormanufacturing processing chambers, and more particularly, to shutterdisks. The inventive apparatus includes a shutter disk for use inconditioning operations of process chambers. The inventive apparatus mayadvantageously provide a light weight, cost effective shutter disk thatis resistant to deformation and provides a tuned coefficient of thermalexpansion and improved adhesive properties.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary shutter disk in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 depicts a crosssectional view from the centerline of the exemplary shutter disk of FIG.1, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. To bestunderstand the invention, the reader should refer simultaneously toFIGS. 1 and 2. Although described herein as a disk, the shutter disk mayhave any suitable geometry as required to operate within a particularprocessing chamber.

The shutter disk 100 generally comprises a body 102 an outer surface128. The outer surface 128 includes at least a top surface 104 andbottom surface 106 and an outer diameter 108. Although discussed interms of an outer diameter and referred to as a disk, the shutter disk100 is not limited to round shapes and may have any shape suitable foruse in a process chamber as disclosed herein. The bottom surface 106 maycomprise at least one feature 107 to interface with the components of atransfer robot (not shown) to facilitate stable and precise movement. Inone embodiment, the feature 107 formed on the bottom surface 106 of thebody 102 is an annular groove 120 and/or a blind hole 140 (shown inphantom). The annular groove 120 and the blind hole 140 are aligned witha centerline 109 of the body 102 to provide a known reference locationfor interfacing with the robot (not shown).

The top surface 104 is generally planar and has an orientationsubstantially perpendicular to the centerline 109 of the body 102. Thebottom surface 106 is also generally planar and has an orientationsubstantially perpendicular to the centerline 109 of the body 102. Insome embodiments, the body 102 has an outer diameter 108 of about 6 toabout 12 inches, for example about 6, 8, or 11.85 inches, and athickness between the top surface 104 and bottom surface 106 of about0.1 to about 0.25 inches, for example, about 0.15 inches.

In some embodiments, a double step 110 may be formed in the outerportion of the bottom surface 106, as shown in FIG. 2. The double step110 comprises an inner step 112 and an outer step 114. The inner step112 and outer step 114 are substantially parallel to the bottom surface106. An inner wall 116 separates the inner step 112 from the bottomsurface 106. The outer step 114 extends further into the body 102 thanthe inner step 112 as referenced from the bottom surface 106. The outerstep 114 is disposed radially outward of the inner step 112 and itcoupled to the outer diameter 108. The outer step 114 is separated fromthe inner step 112 by an outer wall 118. The outer wall 118 and theinner wall 116 are substantially parallel to the centerline 109 of thebody 102. In some embodiments, the transition between the outer step 114and the top surface 104 may be rounded, for example, the outer diameter108 may have a full radius.

The groove 120 may be formed in the bottom surface 106 of the body 102radially inward of the inner step 112. In some embodiments, the groove120 includes an inner groove wall 122, an outer groove wall 124 and agroove bottom 126. The inner groove wall 122 and outer groove wall 124are substantially parallel to the centerline 109 of the body 102. Thegroove bottom 126 is substantially perpendicular to the centerline 109of the body 102. In some embodiments, the groove bottom 126 extendsfurther into the body 102 than the outer step 114 as referenced from thebottom surface 106.

The body 102 may be constructed of any suitable material having amechanical stiffness sufficient enough to resist deformation due to theadditional weight of materials which may be deposited atop the shutterdisk 100. In some embodiments, the material may also be lightweight soas to allow the shutter disk 100 to be easily maneuvered by a transferrobot. In some embodiments, the body 102 may be fabricated fromaluminum, aluminum alloys, aluminum silicon alloy or other suitablematerial. In some embodiments, the body 102 may be fabricated from ametal composite, such as aluminum silicon (AlSi). The body 102 may befabricated via any method suitable for forming the desired shape, forexample, machining, extruding, stamping, mold casting, die casting,spray casting, spray deposition, or the like.

In some embodiments, the body 102 may comprise a first material having acoefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) substantially similar to a secondmaterial being deposited atop the shutter disk 100 to facilitateadequate adhesion between surface 128 of the shutter disk 100 and thematerial being deposited, thereby preventing the deposited material fromflaking (e.g., falling off) and reducing particle generation. Forexample, in embodiments such where titanium (Ti) or titanium nitride(TiN) is to be deposited atop the shutter disk 100 (e.g., having a CTEof between about 9-11 ppm/° C.), the body 102 may comprise AlSi, havinga CTE of about 9-11 ppm/° C., or about 11 ppm/° C. In some embodiments,a ratio of components of the material used to form the body 102 may bevaried to provide a tunable CTE range. For example, in embodiments suchas where the body 102 comprises AlSi, the ratio of aluminum to siliconmay be from about 1:4 to about 7:3, resulting in a CTE of about 5 toabout 17 ppm/° C. For example, in embodiments where the ratio ofaluminum to silicon is about 1:3.5 to 1:4.5, and most preferably 1:4,the CTE may be about 5 ppm/° C. In embodiments where the ratio ofaluminum to silicon is about 3:6.5 to 3:7.5 and most preferably 3:7, theCTE may be about 7 ppm/° C. In embodiments where the ratio of aluminumto silicon is about 1:0.75 to 1:1.25 and most preferably 1:1, the CTEmay be about 11 ppm/° C. In embodiments where the ratio of aluminum tosilicon is about 7:2.5 to 7:3.5 and most preferably 7:3, the CTE may beabout 17 ppm/° C.

In some embodiments, the surface 128 of the body 102 may be textured tofacilitate improve adhesion with a material deposited thereon, therebypreventing the deposited materials from falling off the shutter disk100. The surface 128 of the body 102 may be textured by any processsuitable to adequately texture or roughen the surface 128 of the body102, for example, an abrasive blasting process, such as grit blasting,sand blasting, bead blasting, or the like. In some embodiments, such aswhere the body 102 comprises AlSi, the surface 128 of the body 102 maybe textured to a roughness average of up to between about 600 to about800 R_(a), by a suitable process, for example, via a grit blastingprocess.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the surface 128 of the body102 may be covered with a coating 142. The coating 142 may be atwin-arc-spray aluminum deposition or other suitable coating. Thesurfaces receiving the coating 142 may be textured as described above.In one embodiment, the coating 142 is disposed on the top surface 104and the outer diameter 108 of the body 102.

In some embodiments, a method of forming a shutter disk having a tunedCTE is also provided. For example, in some embodiments, the body 102 maybe formed from a first material comprising at least two components,wherein a ratio of each of the at least two components with respect toone another is selected to provide a coefficient of thermal expansion ofthe body 102 that is substantially similar to a coefficient of thermalexpansion of a second material to be deposited atop the body. In someembodiments the components of the first material may be aluminum andsilicon. The ratio of aluminum to silicon may be selected to provide adesired coefficient of thermal expansion as discussed above (e.g., theratio of aluminum to silicon may be from about 1:4 to about 7:3,resulting in a CTE of about 5 to about 17 ppm/° C.). The CTE of thesecond material may be determined and the ratio of the components of thefirst material may be selected to provide a CTE that substantiallymatches the CTE of the second material. For example, in someembodiments, titanium (Ti) or titanium nitride (TiN) is to be depositedatop the shutter disk 100. The CTE of titanium (Ti) or titanium nitride(TiN) is between about 9-11 ppm/° C. As such, the body 102 may comprisealuminum and silicon, having a controlled ratio of aluminum to siliconto provide a CTE of between about 9-11 ppm/° C., or about 11 ppm/° C.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view from the centerline of anotherembodiment of a shutter disk 300 in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present invention. The shutter disk 300 may be fabricated from thematerials discussed above with reference to the shutter disk 100.

In one embodiment, the shutter disk 300 includes a body 302 having a topsurface 304, an outer diameter 332 and a bottom surface 306. In oneembodiment, the outside diameter 332 may be curved, such as having afull radius. In one embodiment, the intersection between the outsidediameter 332 and the top surface 304 is a sloped surface 320. The slopedsurface 320 may define an angle 334 of between about 30 to 60 degrees,such as about 45 degrees. The top surface 304 is generally perpendicularto a centerline 109 of the body 302. The outside diameter 332 mayinclude an outside diameter wall 324 disposed inward of the outsidediameter 332 and the bottom surface 306. In one embodiment, the outsidediameter wall 324 is oriented substantially parallel to the centerline109 of the body 302.

The bottom surface 306 includes at least two pads, shown in FIG. 4 asouter support surface 316 and inner support surface 318, which supportthe body 302 on the upper surface of the substrate support. The outersupport surface 316 is disposed adjacent the outside diameter wall 324.The inside support surface 318 is disposed proximate the centerline 109of the body 302.

The bottom surface 306 of the body 302 may include an optional blindhole 140 for receiving a center locating pin 442 of the robot endeffector (as shown in FIG. 4). The blind hole 140 is aligned with thecenterline 109 of the body 302.

A double step 308 is formed between the support pads (support surfaces316, 318) and the bottom surface 306 of the body 302. The double step308 has two outer steps 310, 312, with the outer step 312 being locatedoutward of and substantially larger than the outer step 310. An innerstep 314 is formed between the outer steps 310, 312 and intends furtherinto the body 302 then the outer steps 310, 312.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the body 102 may be coveredwith a coating 142. Portions of the body 102 that may receive thecoating 142 include the top surface 304, the outer diameter 332 and thesloped surface 320. The coating 142 may be a twin-arc-spray aluminumdeposition or other suitable coating as described above. The surfacesreceiving the coating 142 may be textured also as described above.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary process chamber 400 foruse in connection with some embodiments of the present invention. Insome embodiments, the process chamber 400 may be one of a plurality ofchambers combined to form a multi-chamber processing system (e.g., acluster tool). In some embodiments, the process chamber 400 may be adeposition chamber, for example, a physical vapor deposition (PVD)chamber. An exemplary process chamber and a cluster tool that may bemodified in accordance with the present invention are described inpreviously incorporated U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/099,090,filed Sep. 22, 2008, and entitled “SHUTTER DISK AND SYSTEM WITH SHUTTERDISK” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/542,501, filed on Aug. 17,2009, and entitled “SHUTTER DISK HAVING A TUNED COEFFICIENT OF THERMALEXPANSION.”

The process chamber 400 includes a chamber body 402 and a lid assembly404 that defines an evacuable process volume 406. The chamber body 402generally includes sidewalls 408 and a bottom 410. The sidewallsgenerally contain a plurality of apertures that include an access port,pumping port and a shutter disk port 412 (access and pumping ports notshown). A sealable access port (not shown) provides for entrance andegress of the substrate (not shown) from the process chamber 400. Thepumping port is coupled to a pumping system (not shown) that evacuatesand controls the pressure within the process volume 406. The shutterdisk port 412 is configured to allow at least a portion of a shutterdisk 100/300 therethrough when the shutter disk 100/300 is in thecleared position as shown in FIG. 4. A housing 416 generally covers theshutter disk port 412 to maintain the integrity of the vacuum within theprocess volume 406.

The lid assembly 404 of the chamber body 402 generally supports anannular shield 418 suspended therefrom that supports a shadow ring 420.The shadow ring 420 is generally configured to confine deposition to aportion of the substrate exposed through the center of the shadow ring420. The lid assembly 404 generally comprises a target 422 and amagnetron 424.

The target 422 provides material that is deposited on the substrateduring the deposition process while the magnetron 424 enhances uniformconsumption of the target material during processing. The target 422 andsubstrate support 426 are biased relative each other by a power source428. An inert gas, for example, argon, is supplied to the process volume406 from a gas source 430. A plasma is formed between the substrate andthe target 422 from the gas. Ions within the plasma are acceleratedtoward the target 422 and cause material to become dislodged from thetarget 422. The dislodged target material is attracted towards thesubstrate and deposits a film of material thereon.

The substrate support 426 is generally disposed on the bottom 410 of thechamber body 402 and supports the substrate during processing. A shutterdisk mechanism 432 is generally disposed proximate the substrate support426. The shutter disk mechanism 432 generally includes a blade 434 thatsupports the shutter disk 100 and an actuator 436 coupled to the blade434 by a shaft 438.

The blade 434 may be moved between the cleared position shown in FIG. 4and a second position that places the shutter disk 100/300 substantiallyconcentric with the substrate support 426 (as shown in phantom in FIG.4). In the second position, the shutter disk 100/300 may be transferred(by utilizing the lift pins) to the substrate support 426 during thetarget burn-in and chamber pasting processes. The blade 434 is returnedto the cleared position during the target burn-in and chamber pastingprocesses. The actuator 436 may be any device that may be adapted torotate the shaft 438 through an angle that moves the blade 434 betweenthe cleared and second positions.

The blade 434 may optionally include a center locating pin 442 sized tomate with the blind hole 140 formed in the center of the bottom of theshutter disk 100/300. The center locating pin 442 locates the shutterdisk 100/300 in a predefined position on the blade 434 to facilitatemore accurate substrate transfer.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shutter disk comprising: a disk-shaped bodyconfigured to cover a substrate support in a physical vapor depositionchamber and configured to be transportable within the physical vapordeposition chamber on a robot blade, the body comprising: a top surface;a bottom surface; an outer diameter disposed between the top surface andthe bottom surface; and a double step connecting the bottom surface tothe outer diameter.
 2. The shutter disk of claim 1, wherein the doublestep further comprises: an outer step and an inner step, the outer stepextending further into the body than the inner step.
 3. The shutter diskof claim 2, wherein the body further comprises: an outer wall connectingthe outer step to the inner step, the outer wall substantially parallelto a centerline of the body.
 4. The shutter disk of claim 3, wherein theinner step and the outer step are substantially perpendicular to thecenterline of the body.
 5. The shutter disk of claim 1, wherein the bodyfurther comprises: an annular groove formed in the bottom surfacedisposed radially inward of the double step.
 6. The shutter disk ofclaim 5, wherein the double step further comprises: an outer step and aninner step, the outer step extending further into the body than theinner step but less than the annular groove.
 7. The shutter disk ofclaim 1, wherein the body further comprises: a blind hole formed in thebottom surface of the body, a centerline of the blind hole co-linearwith a centerline of the body.
 8. The shutter disk of claim 1, whereinthe body is fabricated from at least one of aluminum, an aluminum alloy,an aluminum silicon alloy, a metal composite, and aluminum silicon(AlSi).
 9. The shutter disk of claim 1, wherein the top surface of thebody is coated with an aluminum coating.
 10. The shutter disk of claim1, wherein the top surface of the body is coated with a twin-arc-sprayaluminum coating.
 11. The shutter disk of claim 9, wherein the topsurface is textured.
 12. The shutter disk of claim 1, wherein the bodyfurther comprises: a sloped surface coupling the outer diameter to thetop surface.
 13. The shutter disk of claim 12, wherein the body furthercomprises: a blind hole formed in the bottom surface of the body, acenterline of the blind hole co-linear with a centerline of the body.14. A shutter disk comprising: a disk-shaped body configured to cover asubstrate support in a physical vapor deposition chamber and configuredto be transportable within the physical vapor deposition chamber on arobot blade, the body comprising: a top surface; a bottom surface; anouter diameter disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface;an outer step formed on the bottom surface; an inner step formed on thebottom surface inward of the outer step, the outer step extendingfurther into the body than the inner step; an outer wall connecting theouter step to the inner step, the outer wall substantially parallel to acenterline of the body; and an annular groove formed in the bottomsurface disposed radially inward of the inner step.
 15. The shutter diskof claim 14, wherein the inner step to the outer step are substantiallyperpendicular to the centerline of the body and the outer step extendsfurther into the body than the inner step but less than the annulargroove.
 16. The shutter disk of claim 14, wherein the body furthercomprises: a blind hole formed in the bottom surface of the body, acenterline of the blind hole co-linear with a centerline of the body.17. The shutter disk of claim 14, wherein the body is fabricated from atleast one of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, an aluminum silicon alloy, ametal composite, and aluminum silicon (AlSi).
 18. A shutter diskcomprising: a disk-shaped body configured to cover a substrate supportin a physical vapor deposition chamber and configured to betransportable within the physical vapor deposition chamber on a robotblade, the body comprising: a top surface; a bottom surface; an annulargroove formed in the bottom surface; an outer diameter disposed betweenthe top surface and the bottom surface; and a double step connecting thebottom surface to the outer diameter, the double step comprising: anouter step and an inner step, the outer step extending further into thebody than the inner step, wherein the inner step and the outer step aresubstantially perpendicular to a centerline of the body.
 19. The shutterdisk of claim 18, wherein the body further comprises: a blind holeformed in the bottom surface of the body, a centerline of the blind holeco-linear with a centerline of the body.
 20. The shutter disk of claim18, wherein the body is fabricated from at least one of aluminum, analuminum alloy, an aluminum silicon alloy, a metal composite, andaluminum silicon (AlSi).